Gregory's sassy girl
by Vikeeta
Summary: Tony really went to Scotland nearly two months before the Attamon Comet passed by. His rocking, fan of riding sister Gala, tries to help her younger brother aid the vampires as she falls for a particular punk with sharp fangs and equally sharp wit.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER I

Gala woke up suddenly, eyes shooting open at the loud noise.

"Tony?" she asked.

She heard a few muffled grumps and a small figure snuggled inside her bed, scooching close to her. She could only sigh in defeat. Another nightmare. Her little brother was having so many of them since they came to Scotland.

Gala liked it here. It was a beautiful country, the accent was so different to the American slang, so attractive (yet she still preferred the British) and everything was so green and lush... and she could horse-ride across the fields! But there one thing she hated about Scotland too: that it gave her favourite person in the world such awful nights. She cared very deeply about him, especially because the kid, though brave in his own right, was so tiny and physically uncapable to stand his ground that she often had to do it for him. Not that she was particularly tall, but she knew how to intimidate. And it did help that she outsmarted most anyone she knew with her supersonic wits and sharp sarcasm. There were two reasons Tony was her parents' favourite. One was that one. The other one remained that she was not really their child: she had been Tony's cousin at first, but Gala's parents' deaths when she was barely six caused her to be accepted as the first born of the Thomson clan.

"Do you hear that?" Tony asked.

"It's just the wind. Go to sleep, will you?"

"Or the undead"

"I will be the undead one tomorrow if you don't let me sleep"

Gala had a horrible temper when she was woken up, yet she somehow managed to soothe her words when she felt Tony's presence near.

He snuggled closer to her and exhaled before going to sleep.

The next day, as they were sitting around breakfast, their mother Dottie rushed in in a hurry.

"I can't drive Tony to school today, Gala. Could you do it for me?"

"No problem, Dottie" she just couldn't bring herself around to call her mum. She'd never been able, though she did refer to Tony as brother.

Gala shared some traits with her auntie: her face was pale and unblemished and her jaw line was beautiful, but her hair fell in long soft waves past her breasts and was a deep red colour, like blood. Many people believed it to be fake, but she'd been born with it. Her eyes were very strange: the basic colour was amber, but really dark and noticeable specks made them look almost feline. Plus, the shape was large and almond style, with thick eyelashes. She had a lithe and small body, curvy yet agile. Tony always envied the easiness with which she climbed up trees, as if it took no effort whatsoever.

The ride to take him to school was unusually quiet and whenever she looked at Tony, his eyebrows were furrowed. As she parked in front of the lawn, she saw two kids eyeing the car with a malevolent glint in their eyes.

"Who are those two?" she asked Tony.

"The McAshton boys"

"Uh-huh. They look..." she struggled for an adequate word "interested"

"They hate me" he confessed, opening the door.

"Hey!" Gala called, but he was already out, humbly making his way to the school. She drove out of there as quickly as she could: she knew if she saw something strange going on, she would kill those kids. And they were her uncle's boss's grandchildren. Not a good plan, all in all.

Her day was uneventful. On the first day she had seemed striking to many, what with her torn jeans and her cynical attitude, but it quickly became something normal. She had two girlfriends there, Elaine, a pretty brunette who was always ogling at boys; and Susan, a rather perceptive ginger-head with strange tastes when it came to music. They talked about random stuff during breaks and studying hard in class. Gala loved History and Literature, though Shakespeare was starting to tire her. She understood everything except the stupid sighs her female classmates usually gave when looking over Romeo's 'undying words of love' as Mrs. Hallside often called them with gleaming eyes.

"How can someone be so... enthralled by this story?" she argued with Elaine as the exited the classroom at the end of the day "They two losers die at the end, it's nothing to feel romantic about"

"It's the idea of love, the idea of dying for this one person..."

"Mark my words, no one in this whole world would be willing to take a bullet for you, for me or for anyone. Not even our parents. We're in love with life! Committing suicide is such a..."

"Valiant act. You really need a boyfriend"

It took her unprepared. She was not usually this distracted when expecting a retort. She was the one who gave out witty and cold remarks. Gala started worrying about loosing her touch. When they got to her car, and she was one of the few who could actually drive one, seeing as she was seventeen but had somehow gotten her driving license accepted here, they found a boy there, his long blond hair falling perfectly around a long, attractive face.

"You're the Yankee girl everyone's talking about" he acknowledged her.

"So it seems" she answered.

"Paul Redmove" he introduced himself, offering his hand.

"Okay. Can you move away from my car? I kinda need to get inside"

"You're not going to tell me your name?" he asked, baffled.

Gala only glared at him until he had taken a few steps back and as she opened the door, said:

"If there has been talk about me, surely my name has gotten around, right?"

And with that, she slammed the door shut and drove off.

That night, Dottie informed her that both her and Bob were going out to a party at the McAshtons and that they would be back late. They hadn't called a babysitter because they knew she was more than capable of taking care of Tony.

"Don't you look stunning, auntie!" Gala whistled from her place on the couch, where she'd been doing her homework in comfortable silence.

Dottie smiled warmly at her. She truly looked beautiful in her sparkling party dress and heels.

"And Bob, you look absolutely dashing! Is that I see a Scottish scarf around that slim-but-getting-thicker waist of yours?" she completed. Bob smirked at her and rubbed her head, knowing full well how much she loved to joke around.

"I want Tony in bed by nine, we'll come back by one a.m, more or less"

"All right. Ma'am" she answered mocking an army salute.

"If there's any problem, just call us"

"Sure, though I doubt sweet Tony will give me much trouble"

As soon as her uncle and auntie were out, she settled to continue doing her homework. She couldn't deal with Shakespeare and his never ending babble about love. Had the man ever gotten laid? Was it really the way to woo a girl back then? She knew that if it were her, Shakespeare and all his love nonsense could go and throw themselves down a well. She knew what she was talking about. She didn't believe in what guys could say. Gala had been with enough boys to realize that most of what they said was actually façade and she was not willing to play the role of silly giggling girl anymore. She'd done this, done that, and she was _done_.

She suddenly heard the sound of the stairs screeching under a light weight. Tony? What did he want? He had a glass of water upstairs. She pretended not to notice, so as to discover what he was up to, and heard the front door open and close. She followed suit and found him crouching next to what looked like a corpse. No... no, he moved, yet barely.

"What happened here?" she asked out loud.

"He needs help, Gala! A cow!"

"What for?"

"How should I know? He needs a cow!"

Gala ran to the injured kid and knew better than to ask questions. If the boy was sure, then she would do whatever he told her. She noticed he was strangely dressed in Shakesperian looking clothes. She groaned, but lifted him up as well as she could and drifted him towards her car.

Rudolph barely noticed himself being taken to the farm on the strange device that humans called cars, but he felt thankful to the twisted humans as he drank from the cow. He'd seen Tony turn green in disgust, but the older girl didn't even flinch. As soon as he was in perfect state again, he took a closer look at her. She looked around seventeen years old, like Gregory. He'd never seen a human look so beautiful. Maybe his definition of beautiful was a bit old and she didn't really stand out nowadays, but both her hair and her brilliant eyes struck him deeply. She knew Gregory would swoon at the sight of her and Anna would find her delightful to talk to.

"Thank you.. Gala"

"No problem, Little Vampire"

"My name's Rudolph"

"I don't see your nose glow, Rudolph"

"What?"

"You mean you don't know the song?"

"What song? There's a song about my name?" he grew enthusiastic.

"Hold your horses, young man, it's not a flattering one. It's actually about a Christmas reindeer"

His smile faded.

"I'd rather not hear" he responded.

"So... Rudolph, you're without doubt the weirdest, most charming young man I've ever met. Wouldn't you have an older brother by any chance?"

"Oh, yes I do"

"I was just kidding" she said quickly, her mind slapping itself for looking so utterly desperate.

"But I was not" Rudolph flashed his fangs in a mischievous smile.

Gala discovered herself thinking that if this little thing was so handsome for his age, his older brother must be something worth drooling for. 'Stop it!' she sternly told herself 'Seriously, girl, you're loosing it'.

"Anyway, we should go back" Tony said "It's eleven thirty"

"Shit!" the exclamation came out before she could think about the drawbacks of cussing in front of nine-year old children.

"Gala, what did mum say about you swearing?" Tony looked at her angrily.

"Sorry, hun, don't mention this, okay?" she hurriedly opened the door to her car and the children hopped in. Then she got in herself and started the motor.

They barely had ten minutes since they got home in which to change into their pyjamas and get into bed. Tony's 'treasure chest' was emptied of toys and transformed itself into the perfect coffin for Rudolph. As they closed the lid of the chest they heard the sound of the door being opened.

"Get in bed!" Gala hissed, running to her bedroom. She knew it would look strange if she were sleeping, mostly because she never actually slept before twelve thirty in the night. So she opened up a random book (Interview with the vampire, as she would find out later) and pretended to read, opening it up more or less at the middle.

She heard Dottie climbing up the stairs and the sound of Tony's door as she opened it to check on her son. Then she felt her own door being pushed and her auntie appeared, her smile warm and wide.

"Great job" she said, taking out her purse and giving her a twenty pound note.

"Dottie, it's okay"

"It's time and effort spent, so accept it. You could have gone out tonight to have fun and yet you stayed with your brother"

"It was actually very entertaining" she replied, smiling knowingly.

"I'd rather not know" Bob told her, entering the room. She smiled angelically, and waved goodnight at them. Once she was alone she settled with her iPod and went to sleep, exhausted with the emotions of that night.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II

On the next day, Gala came home to find her younger brother lying on the bed, two tissues stuck up his nose and a warm wet one on his forehead.

"Fighting with the McAshtons, of all people" she heard Dottie say.

Gala flinched and closed her fists in fury. Those two kids were asking for a piece of her mind, and if they kept up the bullying they would certainly get it. Dottie walked out the room and rolled her eyes at Gala. The girl got inside her brother's room and sat next to him.

"What happened?" she softly asked.

"They were waiting for me right outside the school and I called them losers. Then they started hitting me"

"Way to go, you bad-ass!" she chanted.

"What happened?" a concerned voice came from the chest.

"My brother got pounded by a couple of stupid, little imps with too much time" she cracked her knuckles menacingly and heard Rudolph doing exactly the same.

"How are you, Tony?"

"I'll be fine" he sounded so nasal it was painful to listen to, and Rudolph seemed to think that too, because he hissed loudly enough for them to startle them.

"Who are these 'imps'?" he snarled.

"See, that's were the problem is. If they were random kids, I would kick their asses myself, but they are Tony's dad's boss's grandchildren"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that Lord McAshton, grandfather to the imps, is more powerful than Tony's dad and can therefore be troublesome"

"We'll take care of them tonight" the answer came sharp and clear.

That same afternoon, Tony went golfing with Bob and Gala readied the horse they'd rented for her to go for a ride. She absolutely loved riding down these fields. Plus, Boannan, the beautiful mare that was now 'hers', had the most wonderful gallop she'd ever felt. Her pitch black lithe and long body gave her the right body structure to run extremely fast. Gala hadn't taken her out in three days and the mare was restless. She needed to stretch her legs. So that afternoon she took her out. The hooves of the animal hit the ground fast and strong, propelling them both forward.

The landscapes looked wonderful. She distinguished three other horses being ridden not far from where she was. Forcing her eyesight just a little, she distinguished the two imps and their grandfather. She could only laugh: whilst the old man looked comfortable enough in his kilt, the two little boys were completely mortified at having to wear it. They most likely thought they looked like girls in skirts.

"You should be proud to be Scottish!" their grandfather was scolding them.

They looked wary.

"Oh, but don't they look adorable!" she exclaimed, trotting up to them and eyeing them meaningfully. They both looked at her and blushed deeply.

"Oh, Gala Thompson!" Lord McAshton acknowledged her with a smile.

The two boys looked at each other in disbelief and eyed her again. The one with longer hair turned even redder and she decided to toy a little.

"They look absolutely charming, my Lord" she said, her tone smooth and warm "I'm sure they're great friends with Tony, aren't you, boys?"

They remained silent.

"Well, answer the lady! Where are your manners, young men?"

"I do believe I have to get going. Have a nice afternoon, Lord McAhston. See you around, boys!" she turned Boannan around and set her to full gallop back home. With any luck, her introduction would've made a difference in the way they treated Tony.

It was late at night when Rudolph appeared in Tony's room asking for his drawings. As soon as he landed on the balcony, he heard a loud, banging noise coming from the room next to Tony's. He jumped onto what he believed was Gala's and peered in through the window glass. The older girl was jumping around in a black tank top and dark underwear. Rudolph bit his tongue. She looked beautiful in her frenzie.

However, Rudolph, though greatly entertained, needed to do his duty as a son and as a Sacksville-Bag. He knew Tony kept having weird visions though he hadn't pressed the matter. But the kid sure was proving hard to convince that flying was not an option that night. After all, they had but two months to find the stone and as much as Rudolph enjoyed having a new friend with whom to talk and play, Rookery was being especially insistant that night and it was dangerous to fly unprotected.

So he accepted to take Tony flying, and he was secretely envisioning introducing him to his family. His father would be angry at first but it'd be much better not to try to hide his new mate from him any longer. He knew Friedrich was not a friend to lies and deceiving, and neither was he.

"Rudolph!" a quiet voice called from behind.

He already knew who the voice belonged to. Anna was sitting on the balcony, her hands elegantly placed on her lap and her blonde hair flying in the wind.

"Did you follow me here?"

"It's not nice to peek inside ladies' rooms, you do know that, don't you?"

"I wasn't peeking!" he hissed.

"Oh, you so were. I was watching you the whole time. And who's this friend of yours?"

'Oh, blast, I might as well...' Rudolph thought bitterly.

"Meet Tony. He's helping us to find the stone. He has visions about us" he told her.

"Am I in your dreams, mortal?" Anna batted her long lashes flirtily and Rudolph suppressed an eye roll. This sister of his was capable of exhausting him to death. Tony looked at Anna in desbelief, his eyes wide as he took in her slender figure and her beautiful face.

"My sister, Anna"

"Oh, hey guys!" another female voice called from the balcony next to Tony's. They all turned around to look at Gala, who had dressed up and was wearing a dark red hoodie over her shirt and straight jeans which clung perfectly to her legs. Her hair was up in a loose bun and her eyeliner was a little blurried, emphasizing the size of her eyes.

"Pretty lady!" Anna chanted, taking her in. Gala immediately liked her: the girl looked sweet and kind, and would make a good company for Tony. Besides, she always welcomed a girl within the gang.

"Gala, weren't you getting ready for the party?" Tony arched his left brow, something which he'd learnt from her.

"I was, but I heard you talking and I couldn't resist meeting what I'm sure is a delightful pricess" she answered, winking at Anna. She giggled excitedly.

"Can I see you getting ready? I haven't been around another girl for many years and I don't know what the latest trends are" Anna begged.

"Sure, come on in" Gala moved away from the door and the tiny vampire soared in, for her feet never did seem to touch the ground.

Anna moved around curiously, examining everything in the room. She peered at the music buffers, at the iPod, at the vanity, at the make-up and the clothing stocked unside the wardrobe... and each thing Gala described seemed to make her happier and happier, for her smile kept growing.

"What are you wearing to this party?" she asked.

Gala beamed and took out her skin-tight leather pants and her black lace and silk shirt. She was particularly proud of having purchased the shirt, especially because it had cost her one year's worth savings: it tied up at the nape of her neck with a silver clasp and fell to her waist clinging to her body. There were two layers to it: the under layer was a strapless silk top; the second one was made entirely out of black lace. Two Miss Sixty eleven cm peep toe stilettos and a leather jacket completed the look.

As soon as she came out of the bathroom fully dressed, Anna gave a few excited leaps and clapped her hands together in awe.

"That's so pretty! I'd never seen something so provocative and yet so dark! You look like a modern version of us! Gregory would love you in that!"

Gala blushed a little but grinned in delight. Like every person in the world, she was a sucker for flattery. She next sat on the vanity chair and started arranging her damp hair, making sure each wave and curn was perfectly defined.

"I've never seen hair like yours! It looks like fire!" Anna said, looking it up close in fascination.

Gala laughed. This girl seriously knew how to appeal to someone. Her hair now looked carefully wild. Then she applied her eye shadow, making sure it was dark, and then proceded to smoke it in the Effy from Skins fashion she loved so much. No lip colour, for hers were already naturally rosy, just a hint of gloss.

"Ready" she announced, turning around for Anna to see. She beamed at her.

"Beautiful. You'll break hearts tonight. Let Rudolph and Tony see"

But when they got out to the balcony, they were already gone. Anna called out her annoyance: how could the boys leave her all by herself to go back alone? Rudolph knew she wasn't old enough to fly back home unaccompanied.

"I'll take you, Anna. Meet me downstairs"

The car ride was entertaining: Gala taught Anna about modern music. She especially loved the rock ballads, as she considered them pure poetry, but her favourite was Billy Joel's "Piano Man", which seemed to drive her insane as she begged to listen to it four times. She demonstrated a powerful memory because when the drive was over, she already knew all the lyrics to the song.

The graveyard held some kind of appeal to Gala, who insisted on walking her to their home, but they were unexpecteadly detained when they heard a deep male voice and a high pitched one arguing about something.

"That's Tony! I'd recognize that girly tone anywhere" Gala noticed, her brows furrowed. They marched towards the place where the voices came from, but before they could reach it a shout was heard.

"Rookery!" the sudden screams filled the otherwise silent air.

Anna tried to run towards her family, but Gala had the sense to hold her back.

"Go home! I'll do whatever I can!"

Anna nodded, teary-eyed, and marched down another path.

Gala ran as fast as she could and the scene she saw was devastating: a thick, bearded man was shooting at a tall, dark vampire with some sort of air-compressed stake gun. Tony seemed to be paralised, but Gala roared at him:

"The wire! Cut the wire and go away!"

Tony ran towards the wire and did as was told. The following stake Rookery shot fell to the ground, harmless, and the vampire seethed as he approached the hunter, baring his fangs in a menacing way. But the guy had already replaced his weapon with a UV light cross which seemed to damage Rudolph's and Anna's dad quite a bit. Gala reacted quickly enough. She picked up a rather large stone and threw it at the man.

"Hey, you asshole!" she called, smirking.

He turned around to see Tony with a piece of wire in his hand and advanced towards him.

"Oh, not my brother, you don't!" she snarled. She stood in front of Tony, who ran as fast as he could and ended up falling in a whole. A shout was heard, but Rudolph's voice ensured Gala that her brother was all right. She turned her eyes towards Rookery, who held his cross against her.

"Really, dude?" she asked, her eyebrow arched in skepticism.

"What kind of bloodsucker are you?" Rookery questioned, his forehead furrowed in confusion.

"Did it ever occur to you the thought that I'm not?" she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"If light won't do you, a stake will surely put an end to that wretched life of yours, you evil creature!" the man seemed to really have lost it, but when he lifted his arm with a pike pointing towards her she ran for it.

"A stake, whatever the material, actually kills whoever it pierces!" she called back angrily.

Her peep toes were not the best shoes in which to run and Rookery was quickly gaining land. Suddenly a hand came out of nowhere and pulled her into a whole in the ground, hidden by some bushes. She quickly turned around to see her rescuer and found the boy's face bare inches away from hers. He was gripping her rather tightly, but visibly reduced the strength in his hold, and one of his hands travelled to his lips to signal her not to talk. She nodded in understandment.

She'd never seen a guy quite like the one who was laying next to her in that rabbit hole. He was tall and looked strong, though he was not overly bulky. His shoulders were broad, covered with a leather coat. Underneath he was wearing what looked like a yellow and black striped vest. Worn mittens protected his hands and his trousers were old and dusty, as well as his boots. But it was his overly pale face what fascinated her the most. His eyes were deep and piercing, darker than Rudolph's; and his lips were parted.

"Gala" whispered Anna from behind them "You're messing your looks!" she had a seriously upset expression on her face.

"Nothing I can't fix" she winked her eye playfully at her and Anna recovered her bright smile, moving forwards to hug her. She replied with an embrace of her own.

"Gregory, help the lady out, will you?" another female voice came from further down the tunnel.

Her saviour offered his hand, rolling his eyes in the process. She smirked at him and he twitched the corner of his lips upwards.

'So this is Gregory' she mused, looking him over again. The spikes on his head drew her in, and she curiously extended her hand towards them.

"Hey!" Gregory said, baring his fangs at her.

"What?" she answered with arched brows.

"Did I give you permission to touch them?"

"I guess not" Gala grumbled, retreating her hand and sticking out her tongue at him.

They reached a large hall of what could've only been a mausoleum in old times. There were two familiar figures there, those of Rudolph and Tony, who hurried to hug her, and two which she had seen but had not yet been personally introduced to. Friedrich looked scarier than she'd thought, but he was gazing at her quite kindly. The woman next to him was simply breathtaking.

"Now I understand why you, young lady, are so lovely" she said to her small friend, who giggled. Her mother smiled warmly at her.

"I'm glad to meet you, darling Gala. I'm Freda Sacksville-Bags. Tony was very worried about you" she said, holding her hands as only an ancient aristocrat would do.

"This kid needs to toughen up a little" Gala said, eyeing her brother meaningfully.

"You've helped us, thank you" Friedrich stepped forwards.

"It was a pleasure, your children are great to have around"

"I hope they haven't been too much trouble"

"Not at all, really. They're an excellent influence on my brother, because Rudolph's so polite that maybe some of it will stick on this garden gnome that Tony is; and Anna, well, she's charming, so she's a reference for future girlfriends if ever should he have one"

Freda and Friedrich laughed, hers a soprano tinkle, his a baritone tone. Even Gregory smiled a little, ruffling his younger brother's already wind-blown hair.

"Some are less polite than they let on" mumbled Anna, although her siblings were the only ones who head the words. Gregory felt the urge to ask her what Rudolph had done to make her say such a thing. He made a mental note to question his little sister later in the evening.

"You had to go to a party, right?" Anna asked "I could walk you to the car. Rudolph will take Tony back, right?"

Rudolph nodded absent-mindedly. He was currently taking in his best friend's sister's appearance. Despite the little mud on her stilettos and the wilder than she would want state of her hair, she was otherwise perfect and ready to go.

Friedrich shook his head.

"I think Gregory should take her to her car. Rookery might be around and we don't want any disasters, do we, now?"

Freda nodded decisevely, and Anna let her head fall in defeat. She was still treated as an eight-year old, something which she deeply despised. She'd been around for much longer than Tony and Gala put together! But no! She had to stay home while the rest had fun without her!

Gala carefully kneeled in front of her and took something out of her backpocket, handing it over to Anna, who took it carefully in her hands. It was a small necklace made of gold which combined perfectly with her hair. There was a small red crystal hanging from the delicate chain.

"I can't wear this anymore because it doesn't exactly fit me. I'd love for you to have it" Gala softly said.

Anna felt her eyes grow wet and lunged at her to fiercely hug her. Gala returned the hug and then stood up to leave.

"Ready when you are, Greg, lead the way"

"What did you just call me?" he snapped, turning around to look at her in disbelief.

"Greg" she repeated as if he were deaf or stupid.

"Don't!" he shrilled.

"Oh, my, what an awful temper!" she faked a fainting posture and the rest of the family giggled.

"Don't ever call me that monstruosity again!" he shouted.

"Sir, yes, sir!" she mocked an army salute and started to walk towards the entrance.

Gregory looked back one last time at his parents and was horrified when he saw the amusement twinkle in their eyes.

"You women are so..." he started, but when his father cracked a smile he turned around with as much dignity as he could muster and left his home to follow Gala.

"I haven't ever seen him this nervous" Freda said, her eyes never leaving the exit through which her eldest son had left.

"He's old enough to start meeting girls. And I think that one there can set him on his right track" Friedrich answered.

Once at the car, Gala took out her emergency kit and proceded to clean her heels with a piece of cloth. She then continued by making sure her make-up and hair-do remained in place. Gregory stood watching the whole time, his arms firmly crossed over his chest.

"Want me to take you somewhere?" she asked him once her revision was complete.

"I can fly, you know" he spat.

"Oh, right, us mortals are so boring compared to you young, strong, dashing vampires"

"Yes, you are" he answered.

She rolled her eyes.

"You know, once the curse is over, you'll have to learn to drive one of these things" she patted her seat "and you'll have to give up on flying without a plane"

"Once I'm human. But three hundred years of searching for a missing piece of rock really sets you into perspective"

"So you don't think you'll be able to"

"Indeed"

His expression was serious.

"You know, badass, I could actually end up liking you" she let out. She closed her mouth immediately, covering it with her hand.

'What did you do, you weirdo?' she mentally slapped herself one thousand times, but the reaction from him was a new one.

He cracked a smirk and cocked an eyebrow. His pose became less defensive as he approached the car and leaned against the door.

"Really?" he asked, flashing his teeth.

"Erm... I... I gotta go... big party... friends..." she stuttered, facing the driving wheel. When she turned to look in his direction, she found his face again inches away from hers, his lips almost grazing hers.

She paralized.

"Yes?" he purred.

"You're toying with me!" she managed to choke out.

"And what, pray tell me, gives you that impression?" he bit his bottom lip. It was strangely arousing to see his fangs gently tugging at those full, pale lips. She felt the immediate need to ask him to do it to her.

"Please..." she whispered.

Suddenly, he took a step back and the charm was dissolved, thus meaning her anger started violently.

"You PRICK! You don't play with girls' emotions! That there was really twisted!" she screamed at him. His smile had faded and his face turned expressionless.

"I've done my job. If you're done insulting me, I would like to go home" he said, no inflection to his voice whatsoever.

"Go, and fuck you!"

His eyes narrowed in fury as he watched her press the pedal and disappear from the graveyard.

She got to the party soon afterwards. It was still going strong and many people from school were there. She quickly found her friends and proceded to dance to the sound of Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

She didn't notice the shadow crouching on a thick, bushy branch close by watching her intently as she let the music take away the feeling of his skin close to hers. Gregory stayed there the whole night until Gala took her car back home.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Saturday was spent at home in rest and they didn't receive their vampire friends's visit. Although Tony was feeling slightly sad about that, he understood that sometimes they had to attend business with the rest of the family and that it was quite normal for them to spend one night apart. On Sunday, however, things started to happen.

Gala was exhausted because she'd spent all Saturday doing part of her artwork, so she needed rest and she was willing to sleep in as much as she could. However she got a call on her cell phone at twelve a.m. She hadn't registered the name, but apparently the person who was phoning her did have access to her number.

"Hello?" she groaned into the device as she stretched all her muscles.

"Hello, am I speaking to Gala Thompson?" a male voice with a thick Scottish accent answered.

"Yep, partner. What do you want?"

"I wanted to... erhm... I was wondering if you'd go on a date with me"

Her eyes shot open and she focused.

"Who is this again?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't say... it's me, Paul Redmove... from school" the guy was starting to get nervous.

"Oh, yeah, the one who called me Yankee girl. Yes, I remember you"

"Uh..."

"And the answer is yes"

"Really?" now the boy sounded excited.

"I don't see why I can't give you a chance"

"You won't regret it, promise! I'll pick you up this afternoon at four, all right? Riding is fine with you?"

"Riding is perfectly fine with me. See you at four!"

"Thank you"

She hung up and stared at her cell. Did she just accept to have a date with the blonde heart throbbing Paul? She tried to picture him and remembered the long blond hair and the tall, sweet body, but for some reason the only face her mind would want to conjure was not his, but that of an insufferable young vampire with evil ways and horrible manners.

She showered and washed her head yet again, leaving it to dry naturally. Then she tied it into a loose pony tail and applied some light make-up on her face. She finally decided on jeans and a black, long sleeved shirt with the words "Queen of Chaos" written all over it in gothic fount. Converse and two small silver hoops for earrings and she was all done.

"I'm going out at four" she announced as she entered the kitchen to have lunch.

Dottie eyed her meaningfully and beamed.

"Is it a boy?" she questioned.

"Yes, he is. Name's Paul, hair's blond and longish, eyes' I don't remember which colour they are and he's tall and hot" she summed it all up as she stuck her fork into the baked pork and ate a bite.

Tony looked at her in disbelief.

"What about Gregory?" he asked.

"He's an ass"

"Who's Gregory?" Bob asked without taking his eyes off the paper he was currently reading.

"Rudolph's older brother" Tony and her answered at the same time.

"He's your age?"

"I think so, or a year older, I couldn't really tell"

"He's forever eighteen!" exclaimed Tony, grinning like mad.

Dottie and Bob exchanged an exhasperated look, obviously wondering what crazy and weird thing was going through their son's brain at the moment.

"So this Paul... is he a nice boy?"

"Yeah, he's decent" she stuffed her mouth with the pork and drank a large gulp of water.

Paul and his horse Theoden stood right outside the castle gates at five to four. His stance was proud and confident without seeming arrogant.

'Not like some other guy I happen to know' she mentally hissed.

She smiled at him and mounted on Boannan, her backpack already in place.

Gala took a look at him, his checked shirt opened to reveal a white one underneath, and baggy jeans that were just a little too low cut for her taste. She preferred that the jeans stayed in place, particularly if during a make out session she felt the need to grope his ass. But his eyes, which looked genuinely excited, made her forget about all the rest. She had almost missed how handsome he really was at school.

"Shall we get going?" he softly asked.

She took one long glance back, sure that Tony and Dottie were spying on her from his window, and nodded, setting Boannan at a quick trotting pace.

Tony waited impatiently for Rudolph, filling that afternoon with creating drawings about his dreams. He knew Gala drew so much better than him, and went inside her room for a bit. He always discovered where she kept her drawings. Besides, she was really fast at it so it was quite possible that she had drawn some of their new friends by now. After half an hour's search, he discovered a loose wooden girden on the floor. He beamed as he uncovered her work, and awed himself at the marvellous new pictures she'd created.

There was one of Rudolph and Anna, their dresses slightly altered: Rudolph's clothes were a little more elaborate, and he was wearing the Attamon jewel on his chest. The boy looked a little older in the drawing that he really was in real life, about fourteen years old, and Anna looked even older, around fifteen or sixteen, but her features were perfectly recognizable. However, the dress was far more intricate, with lace and silk details all over the place. The coiffure was also different than the long hair Anna usually sported: it was tied up in a very complicated style, pearls embedded into each lock. A golden diadem also with the Attamon jewel in the centre of her forehead gave her an even more beautiful look.

But then Tony saw the red folder. He knew it was for special drawings, because it had been a present from her late mother. He carefully opened it, scanning each piece of art, a unique design made by his extraordinarily talented cousin. But the last one was the best without doubt. It was a painting of a young man (for she had painted it with soft, watery strokes and light colours), leaning carelessly against a twisted tree, looking into the distance. The moon was full, a comet close by, and the light of the satellite caressed the boy. It was undoubtedly Gregory, though she had changed some parts of him: his hair was no longer in spikes and different colours, but falling in brown tones around his face until it reached the ears and the beginning of the nape of his neck in an arrow kind of style. The rest was shaved.

He gazed at her way of picturing Gregory. At the bottom of it she'd written two words: "If only".

"What are you doing?" Rudolph's voice called him from behind.

"Just... looking through my sisters's stuff" he put it away carefully, back inside the folder.

"That's not very nice, Tony" said Anna, entering the room. She kneeled next to him and scolded him with her steady gaze, which then immediately fell onto the drawing of herself. Rudolph also came closer and looked at it.

"Gala did this? It's brilliant!" Anna said, running a gentle finger across the more defined and adult version of her cheek.

"Speaking of Gala... where is she?" Rudolph questioned.

"She went out with a guy"

"What?" Anna asked, dumbfounded "But I thought she liked Gregory"

"Apparently, Gregory wasn't very nice to her the other night"

"But he's in love with her"

"I'm not in love with anyone, don't start with your inventions" a deeper voice said from the window.

"Oh, hush, you big goof!" Anna's imitation of their mother was so perfect Rudolph grinned and Tony laughed.

"Anna, don't" Gregory warned, walking over to where they kneeled. He stared at the drawing for a minute "Not bad" he muttered under his breath.

Tony knew Gala would murder him if he showed Gregory the painting she'd done of him, so he said nothing else. Suddenly, there was a cry downstairs.

"I'm home!"

"Crap!" Tony put everything back where he'd found it and made sure the girden was in its place before they all walked back as quickly as they could to his room and sat on the floor. Gregory stood close to the window, his gaze flickering back to the door every half a second.

"Tony!" the sound of Gala's voice was coming from outside the door.

"We're here!"

She came in, smiling at him and at both Rudolph and Anna, but she stopped dead on her tracks when she saw Gregory. He pierced her with his gaze but said nothing.

"How did the date go?" Tony asked as she sat on the floor next to them all.

Gala's date had been theoretically perfect. Paul had behaved accordingly to a gentleman, his manners impeccable and his ideas excepcional. It would've been the dream date except for the guy himself. But seeing as the only guy who could actually make her happy was gazing at her like she was no more than a ghost, she turned to exaggerating it a great deal.

"It was just marvellous! Fantastic! He took me on the date of my life!"

Her voice inflection was good, but Anna, an expert on body language, was told differently by her gestures. The permanent almost undetectable frown right next to her left eyebrow clearly stated that she hadn't throughly enjoyed it and that she was forcing out feelings she didn't really have. And she saw one too many glances out of the corner of her eye at somewhere almost behind her. Her gaze travelled almost instinctively towards Gregory. But she was a smart kid and she knew that if she was putting up all this show it was merely to bother the oldest vampire there. Tony and Rudolph seemed to be totally won over by her descriptions of the landscape and the way Paul looked in the sun. She did a good job, that much was clear, she knew how to verbally lie. But she wasn't that skilled at lying with the rest of her body.

Gregory was also pretty perceptive about body language, but he didn't seem to be focusing on it. Instead, his dark ayes were boring into Gala's back with an intensity she'd rarely seen in him. It took less than ten minutes to drive him outside the window. Anna followed suit and stopped him right as he was about to take flight.

"You know she doesn't really fancy him" she told him with a soft tone.

"What do I care? She can be with boys, as many as she wants to have" but he was too furious to be able to lie swiftly.

"You know that's not true either. It bothers you, and rightly so"

"Anna, for once in your life, don't mess with my head!" he snapped, transforming into a vampire at once.

Anna shrugged.

'They will eventually realise' she comforted herself.

Gregory arrived home and went to a corner to sulk. Freda tried to soothe him somehow, but the forever teenager would only bark at her cold responses.

He didn't want to believe it. All right, so he'd been an ass two nights ago. But the inexplicable, steel-strong pull she felt towards the girl was still there. He'd wanted to kiss her in that moment, but he knew it would only make things more complicated. He had never encountered someone like her, someone who he felt such a connection to. And he knew perfectly well she felt that for him too, despite her hiding it. He wasn't good with feelings. Rudolph wasn't either, he was sometimes selfish and downright shy when it came to girls, but at least he didn't sound like a jerk most of the time and scare them off. Anna was the one with sensitivity, but of course, she was one of _them_. A member of the opposite sex, the gender that was so utterly confusing and impossible to understand. They adored the idea of love, but then they didn't know how to recognize it when it hit them in the face. Oh, NO! He could NOT be thinking that he was in love with Gala! That was just uncalled for! So she was beautiful, and he'd love to ravish every piece of skin on her body, and make love to her all night long... but that was just lust and desire. Or was it? He felt the need to protect her, to show her that he cared, to prove that he wasn't the ass she thought him to be. He wanted to go back in time and kiss her full in the mouth. Then she wouldn't have gone on that "date" with that other man. What if that guy was better looking than he himself was? What about his charm? He knew virtually nothing about this boy, except for his liking towards Gala. And he didn't even know if that was real, based on the boring picnic he'd organised. A picnic? Really? He would've taken her riding, yes, but they would've gone deep into the forest, explored it in its depth, get dirty with the leaves, watch the animals as they interacted with one another, and then fly.

Oh, yes, he would've taken her flying. And she would've loved it. So he decided he would. Tonight.

The Attamon stone would have to wait one more night.

It was ten p.m when Gala decided to change into her pyjamas and take out her drawing pad. However, inspiration proved hard to come, because her pencil remained still while her brain tried to come up with a picture she was willing to represent. Why couldn't she draw? Normally she had no trouble imagining things and conjuring people. She'd had the idea of drawing Paul riding his horse, but for some reason she just couldn't picture his face. She howled in anger. It had been hours since she'd seen him last and she was already forgetting about his face! Why? Exhausted, she went to bed. She had to get some sleep.

Gregory landed on the balcony only to find the doors closed. He could force them open, but peeping inside the room he could see Gala sleeping on her bed, the red hair sprayed on the pillow and her eyes shut. But her sleep didn't seem to be peaceful, because there was a frown on her forehead which meant her dreams weren't being particularly satisfactory. With a final sigh, Gregory took off.

/I wanted to thank everyone who has read and reviewed the story, it really means a lot to me. I've always been in love with the Little Vampire but it wasn't until now that I decided to create a fanfic. Gregory's always been a huge favourite of mine and they gave him little protagonism in the film. Anyway, Rudolph also deserves to have some romance, but I think I'll leave that until after they turn human, although we all know that he looks so much better as a vampire. But the two having simultaneous relationships, especially with his age being nine, just looked a little unrealistic. Anyway, thanks again/


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